Here there be spoilers!!!
A friend and I went to see The Hangover last night. Going in, I was not expecting much: undoubtedly an unremarkable plot hopefully with a few laughs. Not expecting a big award winner, I did have a good time. Three of the actors I was familiar with: Bradley Cooper (from his days on Alias… I didn’t know he was in it going in), Ed Helms (from The Office), and Heather Graham.
The movie centers around Doug (who is two days away from being married) and his trio of buddies traveling from LA to Las Vegas for the bachelor party. Doug is entrusted with his future father in law’s Mercedes (hmm…). The morning after arriving, three of the four wake up and discover that they remember almost nothing that happened the night before and learn that one of the companions is nowhere to be found. Hilarity and some groans ensue as the three go on a whirwind search for their friend and their lost evening through the streets of Sin City.
At times, some of the situations reminded me of a combination of Three Men and a Baby and License to Drive. As with most buddy comedies of today, there are a number of gross out moments (one involving a tiger… one of those groan inducing segments). Another memorable bit takes place at an LVPD precinct in which the three are subjected to some police brutality at the hands of a group of youngsters on a school field trip…. don’t remember seeing a teacher.
The best part was the three leads themselves. Each of them had a distinct personality that was rarely dull. Cooper plays Phil (rhyming with Will… his Alias character.. coincidence?) the leader of the band of partiers and must have been quite the ladies man back in the day before getting tied down. Zach Galifianakis plays Alan, the loner of the group who is along because he is the brother of the bride.
Helms is the highlight of the movie. Stu is a doctor who is in a relationship with a domineering woman who thinks the little getaway is to Napa Valley wine country. I really enjoy seeing some of the actors from my favorite comedy on television on the big screen. John Krasinski is in a limited release this summer called Away We Go. Wonder why the distribution was not wider.
Overall, I thought The Hangover was fun. It had lots of laughs even if there were moments of mindless ridiculousness. Any movie featuring more than a cameo by Mike Tyson (even playing himself) is not going to be the greatest movie ever made.
Don’t wait. Guarantee your seat before you go and avoid a sold out show. Skip the box office lines and buy movie tickets at Fandango.com.
License to Drive popped into my head when I saw this movie also. While I’m not a big fan of raunchy comedies, I’ve seen a few and this one was not one of the best. But then again, I certainly wasn’t expecting much.